Automotive manufacturers are always looking for the most economical and safe way to build vehicles. What they have discovered is that plastic extrusions allow for flexibility in design and an economical way to create specialty parts for a wide range of vehicles. Here are just a few of the reasons that plastic extrusions work for the automotive manufacturing industry:
-
- Plastic extrusions can be used for more than just weather protection. While one of the most critical uses for plastic extrusions can be in keeping the weather out of a vehicle’s passenger compartment by providing weather stripping that keeps doors and windows sealed tight, there are many other applications. These can include nearly every part of an automotive design.
-
- You may be sitting on an extrusion. Did you know that the majority of car seats are now created using a plastic extrusion process? From the stiffeners needed to keep seats upright to seating retainers, many automotive manufacturers have moved to plastic extrusions for seating components to save overall design weight in the vehicle and to reduce the cost of manufacturing.
-
- Custom plastic extrusions for the automotive industry move power throughout the vehicle. Plastic extrusions are used to protect the complex wiring harnesses used in today’s advanced vehicle designs. These extruded products provide the plastic sleeve that insulates against electrical charges and directs the power where it needs to go.
- Hoses are extruded as well. From brake fluid to transmission fluid, most of the fluids used in today’s cars are transported throughout the system by way of hoses that are manufactured using an extrusion process. These hoses can be coextruded using a blend of plastics that will give them the rigidity they need and the flexibility that manufacturers want.
Extrusions are one of the most popular types of parts used in the automotive industry today. Would you like more information on a project that you have in mind for your next vehicle design? Contact us today for a free quote.